A woman driving past spotted his car and when she went to check on him he tried to get her to give him a lift before he fell out of the vehicle.

Smelling alcohol, she called the police but when they arrived Storer had walked further down the road and denied he had been driving the car - until the police spotted his car keys in his hand.

He was found to have 106mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood – more than three times the drink-drive limit of 35mg.

But at Leicester Magistrates’ Court yesterday Storer, who lives in The Hastings, Ibstock, was given 10 points on his licence rather than a driving ban after admitting being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle.

What did the prosecution say?

Harbinder Gahir, prosecuting, told the court: “At 5.15pm on November 17 a call was made to the police from a member of the public who said a man had crashed his car into a ditch in Warren Lane, Lockington.

“She had spoken to the male and could smell spirits from within the vehicle. The male appeared intoxicated and asked her for a lift before falling out of the vehicle.”

Gahir said the police arrived and found Storer about 250 metres away from the car.

He added: “He initially denied he owned a vehicle until the officers saw the vehicle’s keys in the defendant’s hand.”

Storer, who has a previous drink-driving conviction from 10 years ago, made no comment to police in interview.

What was said in mitigation?

Stephen Oldham, representing Storer, said his client’s drinking was related to depression.

He said: “Mr Storer apologises. He is genuinely sorry for what happened.”

He said Storer needed a driving licence to keep his job and was also relied on by his parents, who he lives with. Mr Oldham said Storer’s father was disabled and that Storer also regularly picked up his 11-year-old daughter, who lived in a different village.

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He added that his client had been to Turning Point for help dealing with his alcohol problem.

He said: “Mr Storer does suffer from depression and had been suffering badly in the run-up to this.”

What did the magistrates say?

The chairman of the bench, Roger Wood, told Storer it was his “lucky day” and that Storer would not lose his licence.

He said: “We’ve considered everything that’s been said and it’s your lucky day – we are going to deal with this by way of a financial penalty and we will give you the chance to keep your job by giving you 10 penalty points rather than a disqualification.

“You’ve made the first steps in dealing with your drinking and medical problems.”

As well as getting 10 penalty points on his licence, Storer was fined £450 and ordered to pay £85 court costs and a £45 victim surcharge.